Compact camper

ABSTRACT

A portable camper unit mounted atop of a station wagon type of automobile which opens upwards and sidewards to provide sheltered quarters and storage space above the roof of the automobile, and is extendable rearwards of the automobile so that attached curtains provide dressing room for the campers, with the opened tail gate of the station wagon providing the floor for said dressing area. In the folded condition, the camper unit provides storage space for the camping equipment.

United States Patent [1 1 Basaraba Nov. 27, 1973 COMPACT CAMPER [75 lInventor: Peter Basaraba, Watson, Sask,

Canada [73] Assignee: The Raymond Lee Organization Inc., New York, N.Y.;part interest.

[22] Filed: Apr. 19, 1972 [21} Appl. No.: 245,509

[52] US. Cl 296/23 MC, 296/26 [51] Int. Cl 360p 3/34 [58] Field ofSearch 296/23 MC, 23 R, 296/23 H, 26

[5 6] Reierenees Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,259,422 7/1966 Canon296/23 MC 3,608,953 9/197l Bernard 3,381,42l 5/1968 Sicklesteel .r296/26 Primary Examiner-Philip Goodman Attorney-Howard l. Podell [57]ABSTRACT A portable camper unit mounted atop of a station wagon type ofautomobile which opens upwards and sidewards to provide shelteredquarters and storage space above the roof of the automobile, and isextendable rearwards of the automobile so that attached curtains providedressing room for the campers, with the opened tail gate of the stationwagon providing the floor for said dressing area. In the foldedcondition, the camper unit provides storage space for the campingequipment.

3 Claims, 3 Drawing; Figures COMPACT CAMPER SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSUREThe object of this invention is to furnish sportsmen and tourists with acompact camper unit which mounts on top of the, roof of a station wagon,and thus eliminates the necessity of towing of trailers, or the use ofspecialized automotive equipment for camping outdoors.

In my invention, the camper unit is mounted on the roof of a stationwagon, preferably by the use of conventional roof carriers. Inthecamping mode, the unit is extendable to approximately double itsfolded height, by means of hinged struts, permitting adequate space forcamping quarters in the station wagon and the extended space. The deviceincludes two storage cubicles which extend sideways in the openedcondition. When the unit is unfolded, the upper section pivots upwardsand to the rear to provide a roofed area over the opened tail gate ofthe station wagon. This latter area is enclosed by curtains hung fromthe extended roof section so as to provide enclosed dressing quarters.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The objects and features of myinvention may be understood with reference to the following detaileddescription of an illustrative embodiment of the invention takentogether with the accompanying drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the camper unit in the camper mode;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary side view of the camper unit; and

FIG. 3 is a cross-section of lines 3-3 of FIG. 2.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Turning now descriptively to thedrawings, in which similar reference characters denote similar elementsthroughout the several views, FIG. 1 illustrates the camper unitextended in the camper mode, mounted on carriers fastened to the roof ofthe station wagon 21.

The cover unit 11 of the camper assembly has been rotated upwards and tothe rear by pivoted struts I7 and 18 mounted to the base 16 by hinges 31and 32 respectively. Storage compartments l2 and 13 are moved outwardsto provide the expanded side structure and to support the cover unit 11in the expanded condition.

The storage units 12 and 13 are fitted with shelves 36 which may containair mattresses and other camping equipment.

Curtains 40 preferably of canvas hang from the rear of the cover unit 11over tailgate 22 of the station wagon 21.

Ventilation is provided by folding louvre 35 located in the forwardsection of the cover unit 11.

In the closed position, the storage units 12 and 13 are moved togetherunder the cover unit 11 and the cover unit then folds to enclose saidstorage units, pivoting forward in the process as shown in the dottedlines in FIG. 2 so as to be present a compact profile and to eliminatethe rear overhang.

Since obvious changes may be made in the specific embodiment of theinvention described herein without departing from the scope thereof, itis indicated that all matter contained herein is intended to beinterpreted in an illustrative and not a limiting sense.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A portable camper unit adaptable for mounting on the roof of astation wagon model automobile, said camper unit when installed havingan external cover unit with means to pivot said cover unit upwards andto the rear of the base of the assembly in the expanded mode, so as toproject over the rear of the station wagon, together with storagecompartments on each side of the camper unit which in the expanded modemay be moved apart from each other to become the support for theupraised cover, and provide additional space under the cover unit forcamping needs, with provisions for screens hanging from the rearprojection of the cover unit, when in the expanded mode, to provide anenclosed space for dressing quarters in which said unit comprises acover unit mounted over a base assembly, with the cover unit formed of aflat roof section supported by two lateral side panels each joined to aforward end side panel and a rear end side panel, with the lateral sidepanels of the cover section pivotably mounted to strut members that arepivotably fastened to the base of the base section, so that the strutmembers may be rotated to raise the cover section from a closed positionin which the cover section encloses the base section, to a raisedposition above the base section, said struts being mounted so that inthe elevated position of the cover section, the rear of the coversection extends past the rear of the base assembly, with the baseassembly formed of a flat base section upon which is fitted storagecompartments that are slidably mounted on the base section so that, inthe elevated position of the cover unit, the storage compartments may beslid laterally away from the center of the base section and under thelateral sides of the cover unit, to support the cover unit in theelevated position.

2. A portable camper unit as described in claim 1, in which a part ofthe roof section of the external cover unit is hinged so as to provideventilation, when said section is rotated into the open position,

said roof section being formed of two panels, a forward roof panel whichis hinged to the forward end side panel, so as to permit pivoting ofsaid forward roof panel upwards to provide a vent opening in the coversection, with a rear roof panel which is fixed to the two lateral sidepanels and to the rear end I side panel.

3. A portable camper unit as described in claim 1 in which the coverunit projects over the opened tailgate of the station wagon in theexpanded mode,-with the space bounded by the tailgate and the rearprojection of the cover unit being enclosed by curtains so as to expandthe volume of enclosed space of the station wagon to provide enlargedquarters for camping purposes.

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1. A portable camper unit adaptable for mounting on the roof of astation wagon model automobile, said camper unit when installed havingan external cover unit with means to pivot said cover unit upwards andto the rear of the base of the assembly in the expanded mode, so as toproject over the rear of the station wagon, together with storagecompartments on each side of the camper unit which in the expanded modemay be moved apart from each other to become the support for theupraised cover, and provide additional space under the cover unit forcamping needs, with provisions for screens hanging from the rearprojection of the cover unit, when in the expanded mode, to provide anenclosed space for dressing quarters in which said unit comprises acover unit mounted over a base assembly, with the cover unit formed of aflat roof section supported by two lateral side panels each joined to aforward end side panel and a rear end side panel, with the lateral sidepanels of the cover section pivotably mounted to strut members that arepivotably fastened to the base of the base section, so that the strutmembers may be rotated to raise the cover section from a closed positionin which the cover section encloses the base section, to a raisedposition above the base section, said struts being mounted so that inthe elevated position of the cover section, the rear of the coversection extends past the rear of the base assembly, with the baseassembly formed of a flat base section upon which is fitted storagecompartments that are slidably mounted on the base section so that, inthe elevated position of the cover unit, the storage compartments may beslid laterally away from the center of the base section and under thelateral sides of the cover unit, to support the cover unit in theelevated position.
 2. A portable camper unit as described in claim 1, inwhich a part of the roof section of the external cover unit is hinged soas to provide ventilation, when said section is rotated into the openposition, said roof section being formed of two panels, a forward roofpanel which is hinged to the forward end side panel, so as to permitpivoting of said forward roof panel upwards to provide a vent opening inthe cover section, with a rear roof panel which is fixed to the twolateral side panels and to the rear end side panel.
 3. A portable camperunit as described in claim 1 in which the cover unit projects over theopened tailgate of the station wagon in the expanded mode, with thespace bounded by the tailgate and the rear projection of the cover unitbeing enclosed by curtains so as to expand the volume of enclosed spaceof the station wagon to provide enlarged quarters for camping purposes.